Blog Archives
How Many Years Will It Take Of The AL Clubbing The NL In Interleague (On A 12 Year Win Streak) Before Things Change?
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
With a modest 4 – 3 lead in the season series heading into yesterday’s action. the National League was in foreign territory by leading the Interleague yearly contest. You see that have not won a yearly series vs the AL since 2003. Houston tied the current campaign series at 4 with a 6 – 4 win Satuday.
The Junior Circuit has won the last 12 years of play, and own a decisive .552 win percentage since 2004 (when the 1st 8 years were split 4 – 4 in the seasons, with the NL holding a 30 games wins lead) in that time frame.
I am a bigger fan of the American League game over the National League, yet I am torn because if these splits continue for more seasons, we will never have more Interleague ever. We may stay the same – or god forbid, eliminate Interleague altogether if expansion leads to 32 clubs (16 in each league) and negating an odd amount of teams per league, not necessarily needing to play it anymore.
Right now there are 20 games for each club against the other League. It boils down to just one division playing another division, and then in most cases, a natural geographical rivalry.
Determining how many games there ought to really be, I turn to the “Team Fatigue card” a lot of my fellow westerners have expressed in so much out this way over the years.
I am close enough to see both NL and AL parks play, but there are several cities that are without a league park of the other for hundreds of miles (like Seattle, Arizona, Colorado, Minneapolis), then KC and St. Louis to a lesser extent, but far away enough to classify a full road trip should you partake in a journey to see.
You can add Texas and Houston, with Tampa and Miami in that mix as well. Read the rest of this entry
Yanks Get Blanked To Be Eliminated In MLB Shutout Survivor (With B Lineup) + MLB Run Scoring Survivor Update
I get that the Bronx Bombers will need to rest their veterans on certain days, but to not have Beltran and A-Rod in the lineup at the same time is not cool. Why not switch days they were not playing on Friday and Saturday? New York was blanked 4 – 0 by the Tigers and Zimmermann yesterday. Dustin Ackley made a critical mental error at First Base, and he and back up OF Aaron Hicks both went hitless in the matchup.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Yankees became the 4th club to be blanked this year yesterday afternoon in Detroit. While some teams have not played their 4th games already. their placement could be higher than 27th. however this was to be expected.
I hate the fact they cashed it in as a fan. Sitting Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran all in the same game – just four games into the schedule is pretty dumb.
I have no problem with the guys excusing A-Rod with a pass versus the tough right hander in Jordan Zimmermann, but really the club could have started Mark Teixeira at First Base and had Beltran as the DH. Are they really that frail that they can’t even make it through half a week?
At worst, why not rotate who takes the contest off. They better all be in the lineup today against Mike Pelfrey.
It is completely understandable for Joe Girardi to give the veterans the day off, no worries there, but to field a lineup that possessed Dustin Ackley and Aaron Hicks is ridiculous. They should have just thrown CC Sabathia in this match if they were putting out the “B” lineup.
Regardless here – the Yankees are gone from this competition. At least they crossed off another variation in their MLB Runs Scoring Survivor. Read the rest of this entry
BBBA Audio/Video Casters Week In Review:
The Baseball Bloggers Alliance is not only a membership for writers, we also support podcasters/videocasters and vloggers. We have many talented people who are doing an awesome job covering the game of Major League Baseball. If you know a show that is good and think they should be on this page, check out our contact information and send us a note.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
We have an outstanding amount of baseball fans that are doing audio and video presentations for the game of baseball that are not even being paid for it.
I would put the content of these shows up against a lot of the paid professionals of the MLB – or any other entity that possesses the wherewithal to be able to do that.
If you want to keep scrolling down, all of the information listed below is all of the shows for the week from all, or maybe you have a favorite, then you can just click on one of the highlighted shows.
In this opening week we had Sully Baseball talk a lot about the Pirates, D’Backs, Cubs and the Cardinals in opening week. He keyed on where Tim Lincecum may end up, and the opening start for Zack Greinke. Like everyone else, he also submitted his yearly predictions.
Sully also delivered an emotional podcast where he implores everyone to love their extended family more on April 2, 2016 – because you don’t know when you may lose some one.
BBBA Audio/Video Shows
The “BBA” Live guys talked about the opening week, and a lot about what the NL East will look like this year.
The Hall Of Very Good Interviewed Kato Kaelin.
The Jays from the Couch guys continued to kill it on their coverage of Canada’s only team.
The Pirates Breakdown was happy to see their club begin 3 – 0 after sweeping the Cards after giving their predictions.
Seamheads (Gateway To Heaven) wondered if anyone was going to make it through the week for St. Louis in light of the Tommy Pham injury.
MLB This Week went through their season picks – and also talked about some of the technology of the game as a fan.
Past here is how to subscribe and listen to these shows.
Odds To Win The MLB Divisions In 2016: Best Value Bets
It seems about once every 3 years Ubaldo Jimenez puts together a Cy Young caliber type of year. If he can find all the stars aligned in the right direction he could throw like a suitable #1 pitcher in the league. The problem with the rotation is that Jimenez and Tillman are up and down – while Gausman and Bundy are unproven at the big league. At least the potential is there for one year. Decent Innings were thrown by both starters this week, and Bundy worked a nice frame out of the Bullpen last night.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
So less than a week of play has occurred and we are seeing some early trends. They jumped from +1300 to +900 in 3 games, and I still believe that is great value.
1st impressions are I am glad I bet a lot of money on the Baltimore Orioles for the Division and the American League Pennant overall. Yes they swept a Twins club at home, and have yet to play on the road, but the pitching looks decent.
Chris Tillman and Ubaldo Jimenez look decent in their limited work, and the offense has come up clutch.
If the O’s are able to get that Cy Young caliber type of chucker Jimenez seems to wharf into for half a year (for once every 3 seasons), than maybe Baltimore has a fighting chance to win the AL East in 2016.
Baltimore was 47 – 31, and played one of the weirdest home games ever in front of no fans after the Baltimore riots. For those scoring at home too, the Rays hosted 3 games with the civil unrest, and that is why there were only 78 games played at Camden Yards in 2015.
The Orioles were 34 – 50 on the road. If they are able to win some games away from home cooking, they will compete. Read the rest of this entry
2016 MLB Shutout Survivor (KC Eliminated) + MLB Runs Scoring Survivor Update: 4 NL West Clubs With 10 Runs Or More, TB in Trouble
Eliminated from 2016 MLB Shutout Survivor last night.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Noah Syndergaard was filthy yesterday in the Mets 2 – 0 blanking of the KC Royals. They are the third team to be eliminated – however plenty of clubs are playing the second game of their schedule, and could be beat up worse than 2 – donut today.
San Diego officially places 30th in the tourney. and LAA was 29th.
Speaking of SD. For the second straight day “The Friars” were bageled by the Dodgers. They are seeing more zeroes on the scoreboard than Bill Gates estimated net worth so far this campaign.
They are also the only club in the NL West not to plate ten runs thus far in the season.
In MLB Runs Scoring Survivor – the Tampa Bay Rays scored 3 runs for the 3rd straight contest in their controversial victory against the Toronto Blue Jays last night. Repeating the same run total this early in the year is a big way to fall back in this competition.
Colorado and the Chicago Cubs scored 6 runs in their second game. and are the only team with 2 contests to have 2 variations north of 5. Read the rest of this entry
2016 MLB Shutout Survivor (LAA + SD Eliminated) + MLB Runs Scoring Survivor Update (LAD, SF + COL All With 10 Runs Or More
It something small yes, however it took 49 games for the 2014 Los Angeles Angels to be shutout in that campaign. They won this competition. As of right now, they will finish 29th for this category, with being on the back end of a 9 – 0 drubbing in Interleague courtesy of the Chicago Cubs at Angel Stadium last night in Anaheim.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
It almost always happens in Game 1 for at least a few clubs. Last night the Cubs blanked the Angels 9 – 0 and San Diego was massively speedbagged 15- 0 behind the brilliant pitching effort of Clayton Kershaw.
With the Tigers, Marlins, Red Sox, Indians,. Astros and Yankees all yet to play – it would take a 16 – 0 score or higher today for San Diego not to be the loser of this contest.
On the other side of the Survivor Pools was a bunch of high scoring games in the NL West.
The Dodgers, Giants and the Rockies all plated at least 10 runs or more, with the totals of 15, 12 and 10 respectively in their games. Scoring 10 or more runs is the second hardest mark to acquire in the contest for the 11 variations of 0 – 10+.
The Cubs racking up a 9 spot on the Angels bodes well for them to complete the quest early. Scoring 9 men in a game is the single hardest amount. Read the rest of this entry
Odds To Win The 2016 MLB World Series
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Answer me a question bet365.com? The Dodgers were a +1500 odd when the start of Spring Training commenced, are without Corey Seager, Howie Kendrick, Yasmani Grandal, Brett Anderson, Andre Ethier as of right now on the big roster, and you saw fit to move them to +1300. Wrong. They automatically go to a poor wager from a good one just weeks ago.
The Jays have also jumped from +1000 to +800 but since I have them and the Cubs winning their respective leagues. the odds are about where they should be.
Previously I had the Giants on the bad odd list, however with the recent rash of injuries to Los Angeles, and a horrible break for A.J. Pollock of the D’Backs, confidence is at an all time high for the Giants to take the NL West.
The Kansas City Royals have a lower win total on the year over/under than Cleveland. but have a +1300 odd to win the World Series. Baffles me guys.
The Cardinals lose just one game and now are on par with the Pirates as the 10th best favorite to win. Love the odds for both of these clubs.
Detroit was a good bet last month at +2500, but are now properly pegged, as are Cleveland.
With the Angels having such a thin roster it surprises me that they are sitting up with the Mariners for value, as opposed to being near the A’s,where they probably should be. Read the rest of this entry
MLB Power Rankings: April 2016
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Disclaimer: We based these rankings on best strength to win the World Series. Therefore some teams that have an easier division to play in, with the least path of resistance to the postseason overall may be ranked a lot higher than a club who is equally talented, yet may play in a juggernaut of a division.
Yesterday won’t change much for the rankings. Although it kicked off interleague with the Royals beating the Mets 4 – 3, and starts the Junior Circuit looking to win the AL vs NL competition for a 13th straight year.
Pittsburgh also beat the Cardinals. I have them both ending the year win 91 victories, but these squad’s really intrigue me.
There are a multitude of reasons why I have picked the Cubs as the #1 team. I explain them in the writeup.
Each Monday, we will post a new set of power rankings and go over the week that was. Read the rest of this entry
2016 MLB Reports Staff MLB Predictions
Despite having a top heavy league – where I have predicted 7 teams will 90 games or more, the National League also has 6 clubs that will challenge 100 losses with Cincinnati, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, San Diego and Colorado all tanking it this year – and possibly providing all the talent for the Trade Deadline in July. The last two months of the year for these teams could be brutal record wise.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
One could argue that the top 6 teams (NYM/CHC/SF/WSH/STL/PIT) in all of the Majors reside in the NL right now, and you then you can counter that by saying they have the 6 worst squads as well (PHI/ATL/MIL/CIN/SD/COL).
The funny thing about this whole ordeal is that the AL is absolutely going to cream the NL in Interleague this forthcoming season. On a 12 year win streak already, I am predicting a 178 – 122 W – L for the games between both leagues. The AL speedbags the National League in my view.
Last year, the American League held a 167 – 133 mark over the National League so that prediction up there is not foreign by any means.
Read the rest of this entry
Who Will Win All Of The MLB Divisions Polls In 2016? Your Chance To Cast Your Vote
It is different when you are the ‘hunted’ instead of the ‘hunters’ and Chicago has many players that could suffer from a sophomore slump in their second go around the Senior Circuit. These guys are still favored heavily to win the NL Central, and are by the far the biggest consensus Division winner pick among experts.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Odds To Be The 1st MLB Manager Fired In 2016: Who Is On The Hotseat?
Hunter Stokes (MLB Reports Part Owner – Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Every year there are certain managers that have a ton of pressure to win. This is always a tough process to think of who will be nixed first.
On one hand, many clubs that should be in contention for the playoffs will see an axe come to their tenure, however sometimes clubs are so bad record wise (even though they were projected to be) that the franchise will just slay the field general in the name of mercy.
As far as under the gun goes. guys like Brad Ausmus, John Farrell and John Gibbons. are tops on the list.
Ausmus doesn’t have a track record of any postseason series wins like the latter two here, so he is going to be the #1 favorite out of this group of skippers that could go fast with playoff aspirations if their team struggles out of the starting block.
Gibbons did a great job with Toronto in 2015, but a slow start would really put his name on the block. Say if they are 6 or 7 games behind the playoff bar near Memorial Day.
Farrell has put up back to back 5th place finishes in the AL East after winning the World Series Title in his 1st year of being the skipper in 2013.
Then there is a perennial bad losing club that have long tenured coaches like Walt Weiss and Robin Ventura. I am not sure they should not have been shown the door following last years campaigns.
Weiss has losing years for every year under his belt, and Ventura rode out 2013 with his late season collapse, but his club has underachieved in every other year.
Still the two most managers on the hot seat are Fredi Gonzalez of the Braves on top of the favorite list at +331, followed by Bryan Price at +441. But I hate putting money on either of these gentlemen with their clubs both being on track to challenge for the worst record in the Majors this year.
Heck, Gonzalez’s predecessor Bobby Cox was the well into his 3rd decade with the “Tomahawk” Choppers when he finally stepped down to a front office job. Gonzalez at least had the Braves in the playoffs in 2012.
Price can’t really be expected to do anything with this anemic Pitching Staff, and all veterans except for Votto may be available for trade at any point.
Get Ready For Another MLB Year Of Runs Scoring Survivor In 2016
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
This should turn out to be quite fun. A lot of gambling establishments have this sort of deal, and we will keep a running total of this on a daily basis, in addition to MLB Shutout Survivor, Who Owned Baseball (Daily MVP of the pitcher/hitter in both the American and National League) and also our Interleague results.
What Runs Survivor is: A MLB team scoring 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, 10 or (10+) (in different games throughout the course of the season.
Once a club has one of these run totals once, you cross it off and keep going until they complete the 11 different variations.
A Bold Italic illustrates it has been done for runs by the club.
Previous Winners include the SF Giants, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays all over the last 4 years.
My money in 2016 would have to be on the Baltimore Orioles who could score a lot of runs, but also whiff so fast against top pitchers, that they would be able to rack up the lower run efforts along with the high end scoring totals.
The hardest total to pick off is scoring 9 runs.
We will also be doing the MLB Shutout Survivor as well. I would peg 2014 and 2015 winners (Toronto) as the last team to be blanked yet again. Read the rest of this entry
Odds To Win The MLB Divisions In 2016: Best Value Bets
Should win between 82 – 85 games in my view – and is the best odds on the board for this wagering in any category this week. Picking them to win the AL East for a +1200 is full value.
Hunter Stokes (BBBA Featured Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The BBBA On Twitter Follow @baseballblogs
Bad Value – Red Block
Good Value – Blue Block
AL East
As stated in an article this week, I am loving the value of the O’s across the board. Picking them to win the Division at +1200 should be ranked 1st, to win the American League Pennant at +2800 is 2nd – and to win the World Series at +5000 is third.
Since Baltimore would have a tough NL matchup for the Fall Classic, the best cash should be thrown on the AL East win, then to win the Pennant.
Boston and Toronto are both listed at 87.5 regular season win odds – whereas the Jays are favored to win over that amount just slightly ahead of the Sox. Here they are evenly slated.
David Price is a regular season beast, and Craig Kimbrel solidifies the Bullpen, but I just can’t put money behind them winning this Division.
It was a good job by BET365 handicapping the AL East
Boston Red Sox +175 (6)
Toronto Blue Jays +175
NY Yankees +350
TB Rays +800
Baltimore Orioles +1200 (1)
Read the rest of this entry
Regular Season Win Over/Under Totals Updated For MLB 2016 Wagering + Best Bets
I think the Mets have a chance to win in the mid 90’s for wins, which is way less than the 89.5 over/under total they are listed for. They will beat up on the Braves, Phillies and I also believe they will truck the Marlins too. I like the Nationals a few wins behind them. New York should also have a good look at returning to the World Series this fall with that pitching staff.
Hunter Stokes (MLB Reports Part Owner + Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
I am continuing the theme of wagering on the Baltimore Orioles. They were my favorite American League club growing up. Now I favor no one but the clubs I can win money on. Perhaps this season I will rekindle my fondness again for the Birds.
This set of odds represents the best set of over/under win total odds I have seen for any establishment thus far.
These are better than PECOTA, FanGraphs and most Las Vegas odds.
The best bet on the board has to be the KC Royals over 84.5 At least these guys give them a projected winning season, but how can KC be a +1200 World Series favorite, to the Indians +2200 mark, meanwhile the Indians listed as an over/under of 84.5.
I am not even questioning the ‘Tribe’s” win total here. This is a nice reflection of what they should have in their victory pile for the upcoming campaign.
Out of a lot of things that don’t make sense, I point this out. Read the rest of this entry
2016 MLB Preseason Power Rankings
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
With just 5 weeks to the regular season – and all of the important Free Agents finally being locked up with Ian Desmond signing with the Rangers, it is time to see where all 30 MLB clubs stack up.
We are going to be running weekly power rankings once the year starts on Apr.3, 2016.
The way I compile the Power Rankings is best on confidence to win the World Series. Some clubs may be more talented (or playing better) than a squad they are behind in the rankings, but the Division (and strength of opponents) plays a massive factor.
It is the reason why teams like the Royals or Astros will be selected above a team like the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Pittsburgh Pirates might win 90 games (which may only see one AL club join them), but because they have to contend with the Cards and Cubs in the NL Central, it will be tough for them to receive a great ranking (at least until games are played). Read the rest of this entry
Odds To Win The 2016 MLB Divisions
Best Division odd value on the board this week.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
As the season approaches we are seeing more and more gambling entities finally display and update their Division odds on a daily basis.
Over the course of the year we will be doing a weekly post on both the World Series and the MLB Divisions for best value.
I have selected one good value pick and one bad value pick for each Division. Next to a good pick, or a bad one, there will be an assigned parenthesis number for the degree I love the wager compared to the other Division picks.
The Chicago Cubs are the biggest favorite to win their own Division which is not surprising. In the American League, the KC Royals have the lowest odd.
I like how this establishment has the Royals as their favorite lock to make the postseason, yet still have the Red Sox and Blue Jays favored over them for the World Series odds.
This goes the same for the Giants in the National League. San Francisco is +900 to win the ‘Fall Classic’, yet the Mets and Nationals are more of a favorite to win the NL East, then they are the NL West. Read the rest of this entry
Odds To Win The 2016 MLB World Series
The Cardinals continued their great play in the MLB since the turn of the millennium – with an MLB best 100 wins in 2015. The organization has transitioned to the next core of a young nucleus, while still holding on to a couple of capable veterans. Considering they have plenty of depth, and lots of payroll flexibility coming forth, the franchise could orchestrate a blockbuster trade soon. While I would favor Chicago over them slightly for the NL Central, the RedBirds, Mets, Dodgers Tigers and Mariners have the best value, while the Angels, Giants, Padres, Red Sox and D’Backs have the worst on the board this week.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
I was all set to pounce on my 1st American League bet for the Fall Classic in 2016 earlier this week – when the O’s were at +5000, and presumably bringing both Dexter Fowler and Yovani Gallardo into the stable.
With Fowler opting back to Chicago, the odd also dropped to +4500 in the meantime (also following the Gallardo wait time for the physical fiasco), and the value is no longer there.
Baltimore is a low 80 wins team in my view, and will not have enough for the postseason. Fowler would have added a few W’s for sure.
Of course with the chaos that has ensued, the Cubs have gone from +700 to +650 prohibitive best odd. There is no doubt in my mind they should be the consensus favorite.
One of these years the #1 seed will capitalize and win. I am still not plunking down cabbage at that clip though.
If I were to do my year end picks right now, I would still have Chicago ending their World Series 108 seasons drought – but I can’t place them as twice the favorite as the St. Louis Cardinals.
Still not sold on the Cubs Bullpen either, and I think Jon Lester can be had in the postseason. The Mets also line up favorably versus Chicago based on pitching matchups. New York has the better odds to wager with.
I am currently writing a faceoff piece between the Cubbies and Cards that I will post over the weekend. The difference is not a whopping 8 or 10 games like ‘FanGraphs’ and ‘PECOTA’ say. St. Louis should still be in the mid 90’s for victories on the campaign.
I have them as one of my best bets again this week.
New York Yankees have been taken off the best odds list with their injury to Brett Gardner. It is absolutely paramount that he and Jacoby Ellsbury set the table this campaign – and stay healthy.
All of the incoming help with Starlin Castro, and internal improvement from Didi Gregorius will be for not.
Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran and Alex Rodriguez also will not hit a combined 79 dongs this year like in 2015. The club is also substantially thinner in the Starting Rotation.
They are a 85 win club as presently constituted, which should have them in the race for a Wild Card, but it is not worth betting at the +1600 odd. Read the rest of this entry
Youngsters Making An Impact In 2016; National League West
Shane Kay (Featured Baseball Writer/Owner – sonsof84tigers.mlblogs.com Follow @sonsof84tigers
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Position players are in camp and games are just around the corner! For the last week, we;ve been taking a look at a couple of young players for each team that I think will have a larger impact in 2016.
We started with theAmerican League East, moved to the AL Central, hit the AL West, swung it to the National League East, NL Central and today we take our final look at the NL West!
Arizona Diamondbacks
Archie Bradley, RHP – This one is part pipe dream and part reality as I’m not sure Robbie Raywill hold the 5th spot all year.
Bradley had been on top prospect lists since 2012 and finally made his debut in 2015 with Arizona and started off with four strong starts where he was 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA, but was hit in the face by a line drive by Carlos Gonzalez that knocked Bradley unconscious for 3-minutes.
Bradley made his way back two weeks later, but it was pretty clear he wasn’t the same pitcher. His ERA ballooned to 5.80 by June 1st and Bradley was sent to the minors shortly after.
The potential is there and Bradley showed it, if it wasn’t for bad luck, who knows what would have transpired last year and who knows if Bradley will be the pitcher he once was after this trauma.
Youngsters Making An Impact In 2016; National League Central
Shane Kay (Featured Baseball Writer/Owner – sonsof84tigers.mlblogs.com Follow @sonsof84tigers
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Spring training camps are up and running with games just around the corner and we’re taking a look at a couple of young players for each team that I think will have a larger impact in 2016.
We started with the American League East, moved to the AL Central, hit the AL West, swung it to the National League East and today we touch on the NL Central. Keep on reading as we go division by division!
Chicago Cubs
Kyle Schwarber, OF – I’ve got Schwarber on this list for numerous reasons. The first of course is his power potential and seeing that over the length of a season (played 69 games in 2015).
Second, we’re going to see a more disciplined hitter I think. Schwarber as a minor leaguer carried a .333 batting average in his two seasons, but only hit .246 with the Cubs, and struck out 28% of time in the Majors compared to 20% in the Minors, so adjustments will be made.
Additionally, Schwarber had a very good .842 OPS for Chicago last year, but his Minor Leaguer career shows room for improvement as well where he had a 1.042 OPS.
The main focus for Kyle this year though, will have to be working on hitting lefties much better, as he hit just .143 off of them, with just a .481 OPS in 61 plate appearances. This is one guy I am seriously excited to watch grow this year.
Youngsters Making An Impact In 2016; National League East
Shane Kay (Featured Baseball Writer/Owner – sonsof84tigers.mlblogs.com Follow @sonsof84tigers
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Spring training camps are opening up and we’re taking a look at a couple of young players for each team that I think will have a larger impact in 2016. We started with the American League East, moved to the AL Central, hit the AL West and swung it around today to the National League East. Keep on reading as we go division by division!
Atlanta Braves
Matt Wisler, RHP – The 22-year old Wisler was a highly thought of prospect in the Padres organization before being part of the Craig Kimbrel trade.
Wisler entering his age 23 season already has 19 starts (20 games) under his belt with mixed results.
Regardless, he’s young, has much to learn, but will also be a building block as Atlanta tries to return to relevancy in the NL East over the next few years.
Wisler impressed in his debut, as he went 8 innings giving up 6 hits and an earned run against the Mets for his first career win.
He was then properly hit hard in his next start against Washington where he last just 4 innings. His ERA remained a respectable 3.43 through his first 7 starts until he was shelled in for 12 combined runs his next two starts. Wisler did finish …
The ‘PECOTA’ System For MLB Team Win Projections Should Be Thrown Into The ‘Woodchipper’ Fargo Style!
I wish the “PECOTA” system allowed for wagers based on their totals like Atlantis Casino did last week. Plenty of cabbage would be flung around on those totals.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
This winter has brought my attention to the gambling world more often than I ever would have guessed. I already spent an impromptu weekend in Reno/Carson City after throwing down some serious cabbage at Atlantis Casino based on their over/unders last week.
I have been fortunate to nail down two straight years in which I have turned a $1000 profit on MLB futures. For those people who have been following our Gambling 101 series of bets, this is one of the best streaks I have been on all – time, and maybe it will end with me ‘letting it ride’ this year, but I am also confident it won’t.
I only wish that PECOTA’s win totals (BY BP) would come with the ability to win moolah just like Atlantis offered.
Oh, where to begin. LOL. Read the rest of this entry
Dear Atlantis Casino: I Am Coming Right Away To Throw Down Some Cabbage On Your 2016 MLB Team Over/Unders!
It is time to start placing bets on what you think all 30 MLB Clubs will do victory wise. I can only hope that Atlantis Casino in Las Vegas keeps these win totals before I come crashing through the door with a bag full of dough to bet tonight. While I agree with their stance on the American League for the most part, their National League prognostications border on dumb.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
2016 MLB win totals over / unders – baseball futures
The White Sox Need To Sign 1 Of Fowler Or Desmond To Stay Competitive
The White Sox have had a decent offseason – however every team that was near or beneath them in the standings have also upgrade their rosters going into 2016. With a need for an upgrade for the OF, and the chance to put forth an incredible homer-centric Infield, I would love to see them go after Ian Desmond, and or Dexter Fowler.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
I like the moves the White Sox have done in the offseason. The only problem is what the Royals and Tigers also have done this winter will make it tough for Chicago to keep up.
The Pale Hose finished a disappointing 76 – 86 in 2015 – and almost 20 games behind Division winner KC for the AL Central.
2014 winter moves of Adam LaRoche, Jeff Samardzija and Melky Cabrera just didn’t work out like they thought.
Despite the poor results off those player acquisitions Rich Hahn acquired Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie so far in the hot stove this year, and also inked catchers Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro as key moves.
I love this aggression – and even believe that LaRoche and Cabrera will have bounce back seasons for the White Sox this season. Cabrera was pretty decent in the 2nd half, and LaRoche suffered the Adam Dunn NL to AL syndrome.
Having said this already, the Royals are sitting with a talented squad as reigning World Series Champs, and the Tigers added Jordan Zimmermann, Justin Upton, and bushel full of relievers and Cameron Maybin.
There is no doubt in my mind that Detroit will be much better than their cellar dweller 2015 campaign.
The White Sox have a decent pitching staff in its entirety. Maybe not as talented as the Cleveland Indians, but the Tribe doesn’t have the sticks as Chicago either.
KC has the best bullpen in the Division, and will rely heavily on it again with their grinder offense backing it up.
Minnesota has a ton of young offensive superstars in Miguel Sano, Brian Dozier and Byron Buxton, yet also lost team leader Torii Hunter.
Chicago is still spending at a decent clip – having a budget of near $123 MIL so far, but Detroit has crept up to near $200 MIL, and KC has paid for its title, by going near the $140 MIL team salary barrier. Read the rest of this entry
Odds To Win The American And National League In 2016 MLB Action
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Spring time is coming fast and frequent and now we are seeing daily odds placed on the League Champions for the 2016 MLB Season. In most cases I hate picking these odds since the World Series odds tend to be more valued for the punters.
But sometimes it is still easier to prognosticate an AL Or NL winner instead of winning the whole thing. 14 clubs in the Junior Circuit are in play in my view, as are 9 potential Senior Circuit squads.
If you are here to wager on the A’s, Reds, Brewers, Braves, Phillies, Padres or Rockies for the upcoming season you are certainly delusional about baseball betting. However if you are only wishing to bet a few dollars, than who really cares. Read the rest of this entry
Youngsters Making An Impact In 2016; American League Central
By Shane Kay (Featured Baseball Writer/sonsof84.mlblogs.com) Follow @sonsof84tigers
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
With spring training around the corner, we’re taking a look at a couple of young players for each team that I think will have a larger impact in 2016.
We started with the American League East yesterday and will move through division by division. Today we look at AL Central…
Chicago White Sox
Carlos Rodon, LHP – The 23-year old first round (3rd pick) draft pick, had created a ton of buzz coming into last season.
Rodon ultimately started out in Triple-A Charlotte before being called up to make his Major League debut on April 21st.
Although shaky at times with control issues, Rodon really put it together at the end of the season in his last 9 starts; he was 5-2 with a 2.28 ERA, .209 average against with a 8.7 k per 9 rate.
In total, Rodon was 9-6, with a 3.75 ERA, 1.443 WHIP in 139.1 innings, but it’s that last 9 starts that showed what he could really do.
Odds To Win The 2016 MLB World Series
best odd value on the board this week.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Howie Kendrick signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers this past week, and the club has learned that Yasiel Puig has dropped 15 LBS in the offseason.
While I still peg the Dodgers for about 90 – 91 wins as of right now, they have the best odds on the board this week.
There is no doubt the San Francisco Giants lineup 1 – 8 is way better and Pitching Staff is also more rounded, however the gap between the two clubs is not a difference of +600.
I would put the Giants about 93 – 94 wins. Their roster moves while decent this winter with Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija and Denard Span, they all come with a little question mark here or there. Read the rest of this entry
MLB Power Rankings: Early Win Total Predictions For Spring Of 2016
Just because there is parity in the American League it doesn’t mean that the Junior Circuit will not club the National League in Interleague this upcoming season. In fact, I am calling for them to be 50 games over .500 versus the Senior Circuit in the AL vs NL schedule. Most of that will be versus the weaker NL clubs, however the better NL clubs will not entirely dominate the whole AL either.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Updated on Feb.18, 2015
There is parity in the American League and their is a growing distance between the good and the bad clubs in the National League.
One could argue that the top 7 teams (NYM/CHC/SF/WSH/STL/PIT, LAD) in all of the Majors reside in the NL right now, and you then you can counter that by saying they have the 6 worst squads as well (PHI/ATL/MIL/CIN/SD/COL).
The funny thing about this whole ordeal is that the AL is absolutely going to cream the NL in Interleague this forthcoming season. On a 12 year win streak already, I am predicting a 175 – 125 W – L for the games between both leagues. The AL speedbags the National League in my view.
Last year, the American League held a 167 – 133 mark over the National League so that prediction up there is not foreign by any means.
All 30 MLB Park Home Openers With Local Start Times For 2016
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The 2015 season is over and it is time to start planning for attending games in the 2016 year. This is our third straight year of posting all of the Season Openers for all of the parks.
I have been fortunate enough to see home openers in 8 different parks already in the last 4 years.
We have updated the previous article on this because all of the home start times have been posted.
We have also provided 30 links to all of the best chaser guides for the stadiums. This will aid you in making your travel plans for the 2016 season.
MLB Interleague 2016 Master Schedule With ALL Starting Times
MLB Scheduling 2016
Day + Date Away and Home, Times Start In EST
APR
WEEK 1 (Includes Season Opener Sunday Apr.3, 2016)
Sunday, Apr 3 (1 Game)
Mets @ Royals 8:37
Monday, Apr 4 (1 Game)
Cubs @ Angels 10:05 (Angel Stadium Season Opener)
Tuesday Apr 5 (3 Games)
Mets @ Royals 4:15
Tigers @ Marlins 7:10 (Marlins Park Season Opener)
Cubs @ Angels 10:05
Read the rest of this entry
MLB Reports 
You must be logged in to post a comment.